1
|
Cusworth G, Lorimer J, Brice J, Garnett T. Green rebranding: Regenerative agriculture, future-pasts, and the naturalisation of livestock. TRANSACTIONS (INSTITUTE OF BRITISH GEOGRAPHERS : 1965) 2022; 47:1009-1027. [PMID: 36618006 PMCID: PMC9796824 DOI: 10.1111/tran.12555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Anxieties around the relationship between livestock agriculture and the environmental crisis are driving sustained discussions about the place of beef and dairy farming in a sustainable food system. Proposed solutions range from 'clean-cow' sustainable intensification to 'no-cow', animal free futures, both of which encourage a disruptive break with past practice. This paper reviews the alternative proposition of regenerative agriculture that naturalises beef and dairy production by invoking the past to justify future, nature-based solutions. Drawing on fieldwork in the UK, it first introduces two of the most prominent strands to this green rebranding of cattle: the naturalisation of ruminant methane emissions and the optimisation of soil carbon sequestration via the use of ruminant grazing animals. Subsequent thematic analysis outlines the three political strategies of post-pastoral storytelling, political ecological baselining and a probiotic model of bovine biopolitics that perform this naturalisation. The conclusion assesses the potential and the risks of this approach to grounding the geographies and the temporalities of agricultural transition in the Anthropocene: an epoch in which time is out of joint and natures are multiple and non-analogue, such that they provide slippery and contested grounds for political solutions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- George Cusworth
- Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, Oxford Martin SchoolUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | | | - Jeremy Brice
- Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, Oxford Martin SchoolUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Tara Garnett
- Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, Oxford Martin SchoolUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
A global horizon scan of the future impacts of robotics and autonomous systems on urban ecosystems. Nat Ecol Evol 2021; 5:219-230. [PMID: 33398104 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-020-01358-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Technology is transforming societies worldwide. A major innovation is the emergence of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), which have the potential to revolutionize cities for both people and nature. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges associated with RAS for urban ecosystems have yet to be considered systematically. Here, we report the findings of an online horizon scan involving 170 expert participants from 35 countries. We conclude that RAS are likely to transform land use, transport systems and human-nature interactions. The prioritized opportunities were primarily centred on the deployment of RAS for the monitoring and management of biodiversity and ecosystems. Fewer challenges were prioritized. Those that were emphasized concerns surrounding waste from unrecovered RAS, and the quality and interpretation of RAS-collected data. Although the future impacts of RAS for urban ecosystems are difficult to predict, examining potentially important developments early is essential if we are to avoid detrimental consequences but fully realize the benefits.
Collapse
|
4
|
Martinez B, Reaser JK, Dehgan A, Zamft B, Baisch D, McCormick C, Giordano AJ, Aicher R, Selbe S. Technology innovation: advancing capacities for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species. Biol Invasions 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10530-019-02146-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Abstract
AbstractThe 2016–2018National Invasive Species Council (NISC) Management Plan and Executive Order 13751 call for US federal agencies to foster technology development and application to address invasive species and their impacts. This paper complements and draws on an Innovation Summit, review of advanced biotechnologies applicable to invasive species management, and a survey of federal agencies that respond to these high-level directives. We provide an assessment of federal government capacities for the early detection of and rapid response to invasive species (EDRR) through advances in technology application; examples of emerging technologies for the detection, identification, reporting, and response to invasive species; and guidance for fostering further advancements in applicable technologies. Throughout the paper, we provide examples of how federal agencies are applying technologies to improve programmatic effectiveness and cost-efficiencies. We also highlight the outstanding technology-related needs identified by federal agencies to overcome barriers to enacting EDRR. Examples include improvements in research facility infrastructure, data mobilization across a wide range of invasive species parameters (from genetic to landscape scales), promotion of and support for filling key gaps in technological capacity (e.g., portable, field-ready devices with automated capacities), and greater investments in technology prizes and challenge competitions.
Collapse
|
5
|
Root‐Bernstein M, Ladle R. Ecology of a widespread large omnivore, Homo sapiens, and its impacts on ecosystem processes. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10874-10894. [PMID: 31641442 PMCID: PMC6802023 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2018] [Accepted: 02/14/2019] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Discussions of defaunation and taxon substitution have concentrated on megafaunal herbivores and carnivores, but mainly overlooked the particular ecological importance of megafaunal omnivores. In particular, the Homo spp. have been almost completely ignored in this context, despite the extinction of all but one hominin species present since the Plio-Pleistocene. Large omnivores have a particular set of ecological functions reflecting their foraging flexibility and the varied disturbances they create, functions that may maintain ecosystem stability and resilience. Here, we put the ecology of Homo sapiens in the context of comparative interspecific ecological roles and impacts, focusing on the large omnivore guild, as well as comparative intraspecific variation, focusing on hunter-gatherers.We provide an overview of the functional traits of H. sapiens, which can be used to spontaneously provide the functions for currently ecologically extinct or endangered ecosystem processes. We consider the negative impacts of variations in H. sapiens phenotypic strategies, its possible status as an invasive species, and the potential to take advantage of its learning capacities to decouple negative and positive impacts.We provide examples of how practices related to foraging, transhumance, and hunting could contribute to rewilding-inspired programs either drawing on hunter-gatherer baselines of H. sapiens, or as proxies for extinct or threatened large omnivores. We propose that a greater focus on intraspecific ecological variation and interspecific comparative ecology of H. sapiens can provide new avenues for conservation and ecological research.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Meredith Root‐Bernstein
- Section for Ecoinformatics & Biodiversity, Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
- Institute of Ecology and BiodiversitySantiagoChile
- UMR Sciences pour l'Action et le Développement, Activités, Produits, TerritoiresINRA, AgroParisTech, Université Paris‐SaclayThiverval‐GrignonFrance
- Center of Applied Ecology and Sustainability (CAPES)SantiagoChile
| | - Richard Ladle
- School of Science and HealthFederal University of AlagoasAlagoasBrazil
- School of Geography and the EnvironmentOxford UniversityOxfordUK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Perino A, Pereira HM, Navarro LM, Fernández N, Bullock JM, Ceaușu S, Cortés-Avizanda A, van Klink R, Kuemmerle T, Lomba A, Pe'er G, Plieninger T, Rey Benayas JM, Sandom CJ, Svenning JC, Wheeler HC. Rewilding complex ecosystems. Science 2019; 364:364/6438/eaav5570. [PMID: 31023897 DOI: 10.1126/science.aav5570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
The practice of rewilding has been both promoted and criticized in recent years. Benefits include flexibility to react to environmental change and the promotion of opportunities for society to reconnect with nature. Criticisms include the lack of a clear conceptualization of rewilding, insufficient knowledge about possible outcomes, and the perception that rewilding excludes people from landscapes. Here, we present a framework for rewilding that addresses these concerns. We suggest that rewilding efforts should target trophic complexity, natural disturbances, and dispersal as interacting processes that can improve ecosystem resilience and maintain biodiversity. We propose a structured approach to rewilding projects that includes assessment of the contributions of nature to people and the social-ecological constraints on restoration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Perino
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Henrique M Pereira
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany. .,Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany.,CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources)–InBIO (Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology), Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Laetitia M Navarro
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | - Néstor Fernández
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Institut für Biologie, Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle, Germany
| | | | - Silvia Ceaușu
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Ainara Cortés-Avizanda
- CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources)–InBIO (Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology), Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,Animal Ecology and Demography Unit, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Balearic Islands (Mallorca), Spain.,Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Roel van Klink
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Kuemmerle
- Geography Department and Integrative Research Institute for Transformations in Human-Environment Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Angela Lomba
- CIBIO (Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources)–InBIO (Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology), Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Guy Pe'er
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany.,Department of Economics and Department of Ecosystem Services, Helmholtz-Zentrum für Umweltforschung UFZ, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tobias Plieninger
- Faculty of Organic Agricultural Sciences, University of Kassel, Kassel, Germany.,Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Development, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - José M Rey Benayas
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Alcalá, Alcalá de Henares, Spain
| | | | - Jens-Christian Svenning
- Section for Ecoinformatics and Biodiversity, Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.,Center for Biodiversity Dynamics in a Changing World (BIOCHANGE), Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark
| | - Helen C Wheeler
- Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK.,Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris, France.,Department of Arctic and Marine Biology, UiT Norges Arktiske Universitet, Tromsø, Norway.,Department of Biology, Chemistry and Geography, Université du Quebec à Rimouski, Rimouski, Quebec, Canada
| |
Collapse
|